Giant Single Serving Cinnamon Bun

This is an easy sell.

There is no convincing involved when explaining the necessity of an on-demand cinnamon bun. There is no time a day that would not benefit from something so decadent/healthy/easy/all around fabulous.

It’s the morning and you’re craving a warm, fresh baked good right out of the oven. But it’s a big day so you need something substantial with a hit of protein. And, if you’re anything like me, you may not be the poster child of a morning person and don’t have the time for a breakfast making extravaganza without running later than you already are. But maybe that’s just me.

It’s a few hours after a light dinner (prime midnight snack time, as everyone knows) and you’re raiding every nook of your kitchen. Ice cream? You’re feeling indulgent, so maybe go all out and make brownies?

As someone who is not infrequently in this situation, I’ll let you in on what I’ve learned. A fresh cinnamon roll made specially for you? Always the answer.

Be it a decadent breakfast, an inexplicably nutritious dessert, or simply a spectacular snack, this cinnamon bun is about to be an excellent friend of yours.

I’m honored to introduce you.

First off, this thing is huge. It’s legit almost the size of my hand. Plus the whole thing is under 200 calories with only 3g of net carbs. And it packs 18g of protein!!

I know protein powder is not the ingredient of choice for some of you, but I would never want you to go cinnamon bun-less, so allow me to direct you to my beloved wheat version. I basically lived on that recipe before living la vida low carb, so it’s about time that I made a low carb protein version.

This cinnamon-studded beauty is crazy easy to make. All you do is stir together the dough ingredients, flatten it into a rectangle, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and roll it up.

Then bake! Or in my case, microwave! Whichever you prefer! Yay options!

What is the magical-looking glaze on top, you ask? The one I’m using to attempt action shots?

I’m glad you asked.

For a traditional version glaze, whisk together 1 tablespoon powdered sugar with a smidgen of almond milk (1/2 teaspoon or so). Or, for the protein version I used in these photos, 1 tablespoon protein powder plus 1 -2 teaspoons almond milk. Do whatever works for you! Because everyone needs this in their life.

Nutritional Breakdown

Calories

4 tablespoons of almond flour (140) + 3 tablespoons protein powder (50) + 1 tablespoon erythritol (0) + 1 tablespoon liquid egg whites (8) = 198 calories for the whole darn thing

Net Carbs

4 tablespoons of almond flour (1g) + 3 tablespoons protein powder (2g) + 1 tablespoon erythritol (0g) + 1 tablespoon liquid egg whites (0g) = 3g net carbs for the whole darn thing

Protein

4 tablespoons of almond flour (5g) + 3 tablespoons protein powder (11g) + 1 tablespoon erythritol (0g) + 1 tablespoon liquid egg whites (2g) = 18g protein for the whole darn thing

Single Serving Cinnabon

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Author: Kelly Morrison

Yield: 1 giant cinnamon bun

Ingredients

For cinnamon filling:

½ tablespoon erythritol or sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

For dough:

4 tablespoons almond flour
3 tablespoons protein powder
1 tablespoon erythritol
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon liquid egg whites

Instructions

To make the cinnamon filling: in a small bowl or mug, combine ½ tablespoon erythritol or sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.
Grease a microwave safe plate and set aside.
In a mug, combine the almond flour, protein powder, 1 tablespoon erythritol, salt, and baking powder. Add in the lemon juice and egg whites and stir until completely combined and all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2-3 times, or until it comes together. Flatten the dough into a rectangle that is 2-3 inches wide and as thin as you can make it, about ¼ inch thickness. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough, leaving a border around the edges. Carefully roll the dough up from the short side and place on the prepared plate. Microwave for a minute to a minute and a half, until risen and solid but not tough.
Optional glaze: combine 1 tablespoon powdered sugar with ¼-1/2 teaspoon almond milk and whisk until smooth. For a protein version, combine 1 tablespoon protein powder with 1-2 teaspoons almond milk and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooked cinnamon bun. Glaze or not, it's still spectacular. Devour.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: the whole darn thing Calories: 198 Net Carbs: 3g Protein: 18g

Celebration of cinnamon rolls:

Whole Wheat Single Serving Cinnamon Roll